Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 323 Expedition to Australia
On the same day that the Singapore Expeditionary Force took action, the fifth round of peace talks between the Chu State and the British and French forces broke down, and the war between the two sides broke out again.

The British and French allied forces launched a large-scale expedition to Singapore, thus triggering the bloody Second Battle of Singapore.

The State of Chu was also not idle, and immediately launched the glorious journey of expedition to Australia. Lieutenant General Qian Jiang, the Minister of Military and Political Affairs who stayed in Donggang City, issued the expedition order authorized by His Majesty.

He ordered the Fifth Expeditionary Division to be the backbone, and to incorporate 3.6 militia officers and soldiers from Donggang, totaling 4.2 troops, to be divided into four routes to expedition to Australia.

Head south immediately from the day you receive the order.

The 3800rd Detachment of the Australian Expeditionary Force, with more than troops, attacked Darwin, an important city in Australia's Northern Territory, occupied it in one fell swoop, and expanded the occupied area to surrounding towns.

The 4th Detachment of the Australian Expeditionary Force, with a total of more than 5600 troops, marched south and landed in Townsville. After occupying the city, they divided their troops into two groups and attacked southward and northward along the coastline, occupying towns along the coast.

The Second Detachment of the Australian Expeditionary Force, with a total strength of more than 1.2 troops, was led by Lieutenant General Qian Jiang, Minister of Military Affairs. They attacked and occupied the southern Queensland city of Brisbane and towns near the Sunshine Coast, and quickly expanded along the coast to cities in New South Wales.

The First Detachment of the Australian Expeditionary Force, with a total of more than 2 troops, was led by King Zheng Guohui of Chu. They marched south along the eastern coastline of Australia, landed on the Central Coast, and occupied Sydney in one fell swoop.

At the command, the army set out.

Early morning of March 1th

The 4th Expeditionary Force, with a strength of more than 3800 troops, escorted by a fleet consisting of two sailing battleships and six sailing cruisers, and carrying 6 transport ships, set sail for Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory.

At that time, Darwin was just a small town of more than 43 people, with police officers and no soldiers. There were only some temporarily gathered civilian armed cavalry.

The 4th Detachment arrived in Darwin unimpeded at around a.m. the next day. The army took advantage of the situation and captured the city almost without bloodshed.

Then they sent out four teams, each with 230 to 400 people, to quickly attack and occupy the surrounding white ranches and towns, and kill all those who resisted.

The local loose white militia collapsed easily like an egg hitting a stone in the face of the surging army, so there is no need to go into details.

When the news of victory reached Donggang, the officers and soldiers waiting to go to the battle cheered enthusiastically.

On January 1, Lieutenant General Qian Jiang, Minister of Military Affairs, led the Second Detachment of the Australian Expeditionary Force with a total of 13 troops. Under the escort of the main sailing fleet, they formed a task force of more than 1.2 ships of various types and sailed south in a mighty manner.

Two-day sailing
The second detachment successfully landed on the beach at Brisbane Harbor at around 15: p.m. on the th. The escort fleet engaged in a brief fierce battle with the local white garrison in the port.

After about 40 minutes, after defeating the more than 330 white defenders in the port, the second detachment's troop transport ship successfully docked at the pier and continuously unloaded a large number of troops.

At that time, Brisbane was only a small city of more than 3.7 people, with about a thousand white garrisons and local white militiamen who rose up upon hearing the alarm, numbering between one and two thousand.

After the Second Detachment of the Australian Expeditionary Force landed, it immediately launched several attacks. Soldiers poured into the city like a tide and engaged in fierce fighting with the local white defenders.

The fierce urban gun battle continued until dusk, and the gunshots gradually died down.

As expected, the entire city fell into the hands of the Chu army. What remained was a lot of detailed work, which I will not elaborate on here.

The troop transport and cargo ships carrying the second detachment unloaded the troops and cargo, and then turned back without delay to Donggang City to pick up other Australian Expeditionary Force troops.

After the Second Australian Expeditionary Force gained a foothold in Brisbane, it quickly dispatched two forces, heading north and south, to occupy white towns and surrounding ranches along the Gold Coast.

A large number of horses were quickly collected and soldiers were trained on the spot to fight on horseback in preparation for the next step of attacking the inland towns and ranches.

In this process

The expeditionary force received help from a large number of local Chinese immigrants and launched a campaign to liquidate some white gold mine owners and ranchers who had always oppressed the Chinese. This was the original meaning of the title.

The transport ships of the Fourth Detachment of the Darwin expedition returned to Donggang one after another on January 1, and began to load military supplies in order, preparing to march south again.

The transport ships carrying the second expedition to Brisbane did not return to Eastport until dusk on the 17th, and did not return until the morning of the 19th.

Early morning on October 1

King Zheng Guohui of Chu personally led a huge fleet, a special mixed formation consisting of more than 130 warships, troop transports and cargo ships, carrying a total of 2 troops of the First Detachment, and marched south in three parallel columns.

Its destination is Sydney and surrounding cities on the Central Coast.

Standing on the stern of the Guangming sailing ship
King Zheng Guohui of Chu faced the early morning South Pacific breeze, which blew his hair, and looked at the huge fleet in the distance with a deep and calm gaze.

Now that it has come to this point, it’s impossible to stop.

These days he has figured it out. The world powers of this era, such as Britain and France, were extremely fierce and warlike in nature. They were not as gentle and polite as they were later generations, and were not willing to present facts and reason.

Having not experienced the bitter lessons of the two world wars, these bandits who have always been rampant in the world prefer to solve problems with swords and guns.

It's a bit simplistic, but the effect is really good.

Unless they suffer a great loss or get their heads bruised and bloody, they will never turn back.

To pin hopes on peaceful negotiations is like seeking the skin of a tiger.

So when the British and French powers were actively preparing for the war in Singapore, the State of Chu was also fully preparing for the war in Donggang. King Zheng Guohui of Chu led the sailing fleet out again and headed straight for Donggang City.

After intensive planning, a large-scale expedition to Australia was launched.

The ability to quickly learn that Singapore was once again under pressure from the British and French allied forces was thanks to the long-distance submarine cables from Davao to Xi'an and from Xi'an to Donggang that had been fully laid in recent months.

When the army set out
The submarine cable laying work vessel set out again, this time laying the cable from Eastport City south to York Peninsula, then all the way south along the east coast of Australia, and finally arriving in Melbourne.

The whole process takes about a month.

Laying long-distance submarine cables along the seabed of Australia's east coast, where the water depth is between 40 and 100 meters, is not difficult and the cables can be laid all the way.

Among the trivial tasks, there are more than a dozen landing points along the way, and small steamers need to pull riveted cable lines ashore. The landing locations are kept confidential.

It is necessary to dig trenches to bury the cables and leave hidden interfaces.

Once the Chu army has full control of the local town, it can use land-based telephone poles to connect the Australian town to the long-distance telegraph network.

The number of ships mobilized for this southward expedition was not large, so the Australian Expeditionary Force had to be divided into three waves, which were transported to land and occupy the corresponding towns in Australia.

Given the extreme communication blockage in today's era, a week earlier or later is not a big problem.

The first wave of landing was the 1.6th and nd detachments that occupied Darwin and Brisbane, with a total of more than troops. Everything is going smoothly and the predetermined goals have been achieved.

The second wave of landing was the first team led by King Zheng Guohui of Chu himself, with a total strength of more than 2 people. It gathered all the cargo ships in Donggang and the main force of the Chu sailing fleet, and marched south in a mighty force.

Standing on the stern deck, looking at the forest of boats in front of him, King Zheng Guohui of Chu was filled with passion and extremely excited.

It has always been his deep-seated ambition to get involved in Australia, but he just didn't have a sufficient reason.

Once you take this step, you won't feel any fear.

This expedition to Australia was the first step in the Chu King Zheng Guohui's plan to conquer Australia. The primary goal was to militarily occupy the Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, and Western Australia. The second step was to populate these areas with large-scale immigration from the kingdom itself.

暂定以每月5至6万人的速度，连续10~12个月，总计收入人口不低于60万。

By the time

The next action plan will be determined based on the negotiation progress with the UK and France.

That is to say, they first took the benefits and occupied the place, then filled it with a large number of Chinese immigrants to become the mainstream of the population in Australia.

If the British do not compromise, they will continue to immigrate to Australia, 100 million, 200 million or even more, and the number will be so large that the British will despair.

The bottom line in the heart of King Zheng Guohui of Chu is

Australia was jointly administered by Britain and the State of Chu. Britain recognized the special interests of the State of Chu in Australia and promised to treat Chinese immigrants fairly, providing them with business, property, personal and property security, and non-discriminatory treatment as citizens.

The Chu State recognized that Australia was part of the British Empire's colonies, did not make territorial sovereignty claims over it, and jointly maintained the status quo with Britain.

With the current strength of Chu
It is still beyond the ability to separate Australia from British colonial rule. We can achieve our goal step by step without rushing.

If a ceasefire agreement is finally reached

Zheng Guohui planned to demobilize the 4.2 troops of the Australian Expeditionary Force on the spot. These soldiers of the kingdom, whose hands were stained with the blood of white people, had no choice but to follow the interests of the kingdom to the end.

You will never be trusted in white people's territory.

In this way

These die-hard supporters spread across the Australian continent, settled down, and gradually multiplied.

Then the absolute influence of the Chu State will still exist, and it can firmly control the Northern Territory, Queensland, New Wales and Western Australia through organizations such as private chambers of commerce, ranchers associations, and local gangs.

In Victoria, the most populous state, local Chinese currently account for one-third of the total population, so it is not difficult to import more Chinese immigrants.

There were several careful considerations behind not listing Melbourne as a target for capture.

As long as the Chu State occupied the above four states, consolidated its presence in Australia, and continued to immigrate in large numbers, it would change the proportion of the local mainstream population through immigration.

All these measures have taken the initiative.

its purpose

The goal is to end the war as soon as possible. The longer it drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be for the State of Chu.

It was already mid-January 1869, and there were only 1 months left until the Suez Canal was officially opened.

If the war really reaches a point where the fight continues until one is dead, Britain will send additional fleets and expeditionary forces to the South China Sea through the Suez Canal to implement a comprehensive blockade of the Chu mainland.

Then the situation will deteriorate rapidly and the war will be prolonged, which is absolutely not in line with the fundamental interests of Chu and will put this new country to a severe test.

In summary

Attacking four states will leave one state without one, leaving behind Victoria, Australia's most populous, most developed, and most affluent state, and its capital Melbourne, making them hostages under the sword of the Chu army, and allowing them to be more proactive in negotiations.

Think of Melbourne as the Englishman's testicles. Once they get irritated, poke them with a knife and they'll be docile, guaranteed.

From a military perspective

Melbourne is also the most heavily defended place in Australia, with thousands of militias mobilized urgently and the only fortress artillery battery in Australia, so its defense is relatively tight.

If the war comes

An armed force of about 1.2 to 1.6 men could be quickly mobilized from the numerous white gold mines in Victoria, and could grow to more than 3 men within two months.

Its strength should never be underestimated.

The city is the richest city in the entire Nanyang region and has developed rapidly because of gold.

By 1869, Melbourne's urban population had reached nearly 39, and the entire state of Victoria had a population of just over 76, accounting for nearly half of Australia's population.

Victoria is no pushover in any way.

It is acceptable to have the idea of ​​achieving success overnight, but it is not in the fundamental interests of the Chu State to devote too much military force to Australia and to engage in a long-term fierce battle with Britain.

The best way is to quit while you are ahead.

Originally, the Chu State's sphere of influence was hundreds of kilometers away from Australia, but now it has expanded directly to the central and southern parts of the Australian continent. How far can it be from final victory?

in the original history

Australia gained independence in 1901, which is only 32 years ago. Zheng Guohui can afford to wait and is not in a hurry at all.

The State of Chu really has no strength now. It would be too much for it to swallow up such a large territory as Australia in one go.

The best way is to nibble away, yes, nibble away...

Thought of here
King Zheng Guohui of Chu showed a confident smile on his face. The British and French powers would never know that his real confidence came from the endless Chinese compatriots in the northern Shenzhou continent, which was a huge force that was enough to change the regional situation.

What he needs to do now, in the terminology of Go, is to occupy the "real territory".

Infiltrate Chinese power step by step. As for the sovereignty, there is no need to rush, just take it slowly.

To put it simply, the Australian strategy personally planned by King Zheng Guohui of Chu was to "pick on the weak."

Around 1869
Sydney has a total population of approximately 18.2 and is the second largest city in Australia after Melbourne. It also prospered due to the discovery of gold mines and is also a major wool producer.

In the 19s, gold mines were discovered in southern New South Wales and other places, attracting a large number of gold prospectors from Europe, America and China.

Australia's population surged from 1850 in 40 to 1860 million in 110, entering a period of rapid population growth, mainly due to foreign gold miners.

By 1869, the total population had reached over 160 million, mainly concentrated in the area around Melbourne in the southern state of Victoria.

There are dense towns, a large population and a high level of development.

As Australia's second largest city, Sydney is slightly smaller than the former in terms of city size and population, and the population in surrounding towns is also more dispersed.

To be honest, it was not difficult for the first team of more than 2 troops led by King Zheng Guohui of Chu to deal with the local white armed militia of about to people in Sydney.

(End of this chapter)